Cancelled operations on the rise at Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital
Cancelled operations have gone up 10 per cent at New Cross Hospital, new figures have revealed.
In total 671 operations were cancelled on the day they were due to take place during 2013/14.
This rose from 609 a year before.
Health bosses said the figures justify their radical proposal of using Cannock Chase Hospital, which will see non-emergency surgery moved there.
The biggest increase in same-day cancellations was seen in orthopaedics, which went from 160 last year to 206 in 2013/14.
Cancellations of general surgery also rose, from 101 to 120.
April to June in 2013 saw the highest figures of last year, with 234 operations cancelled on the day they were scheduled for.
However chiefs said that numbers were showing an improvement for this year after bed numbers were increased.
The Cannock plan is designed to free up space at New Cross for its emergency services.
By taking all non-emergency surgery to Cannock, bosses hope it will spread the workload and reduce pressure on staff and lead to a better patient experience.
Chief operating officer Gwen Nuttall, of the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said the move to Cannock was vital to further reduce any cancellations.
She added: "Cancelled operations did increase in 2013/14 compared to 2012/13 – most were related to bed pressures that the trust faced in the spring months of 2013.
"I'm pleased to say that as a result of an increase in beds and ward B7 opening there have been fewer cancellations in the 2014/15 year to date.
"However with additional ambulances from Staffordshire coming to New Cross it is important that we implement the plans to move some elective surgery to Cannock, to reduce cancellations further and so we can manage the emergency pressures at New Cross."
Those emergency pressures have seen record numbers patient numbers besiege the hospital's A&E unit.
In order to ease pressure and cater for a growing population, bosses have undertaken a multi-million project.
It involves building a new £30m Emergency Centre, with an A&E department three times the size of the current one.
The centre, due to open late next year, will also house a walk-in centre and primary care services.
For non-emergency surgery, shuttle buses will take patients from New Cross to Cannock, with as-yet-undecided stops along the way.
Staff from the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust who work at Cannock are having their contracts moved to the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.
